52 MAMMALS OF PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW JERSEY. 



Order GLIRES ; Rodents or Gnawers. 



Family SCIURIIX*: : Squirrels. 



Genus Scuirus Linnaeus, Systemae Naturae, 1758, vol. i, p. 63. 

 Carolina Gray Squirrel. Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin. 



1788. \_Sciurus\ carolinensis Gmelin, Systema Naturae, vol. i, p. 148. 



Type locality. " Carolina." 



fauna/ distribution. Upper and lower Austral zones, from New York Bay 

 and the Ohio "Valley to the northern part of the Gulf States. 



Distribution in Pa. and N.J. The more typical southern form of caro- 

 linensis is only found in southermost N. J., where it is quite rare and very 

 local in its occurrence. In other parts of the upper Austral regions of the 

 two states it is evenly distributed, but nowhere abundant as in former days. 

 In the mountain foothills it merges into the Canadian sub-species leucotis. 

 Specimens from the mountains of northern N. J. belong more properly to 

 that form. 



Description aud habits of species. This animal is so well known as to need 

 no further comment, except to call attention to its differences of color and 

 size from the northern race. These are given under the next species. The 

 " black phase " of pelage, so common to leucotis is of only accidental occur- 

 rence in carolinensis. I have heard of the following records of this phase : 



Lancaster Co., Pa. See Rathvon's History of the Co., 1869, p. SOT. 



Chester Co., Pa. One was seen by my schoolmate, Henry Zook, previous 

 to the year 1876. Rhoads. 



Mercer Co., N.J. Dr. C. C. Abbott has known of them being taken many 

 years ago near Trenton. I never saw nor heard of the black squirrel in my 

 travels in northern N. J. Rhoads, 1902. 



Northern Gray or Black Squirrel. Sciurus carolinensis leucotis 

 (Gapper). 



1830. Sciurus leucotis Gapper, Zoological Journal, vol. 5, p. 206. 



1877. Sciurus carolinensis var. leucotis Allen, Monograph N. American 

 Rodentia, p. 701. 



Type locality. Region between York and Lake Simcoe, Ontario, Canada. 



Distribution in Pa. and N. J. Transition and Canadian life zones ; 

 abundant in nut-bearing forests, but avoiding areas monopolized by coni- 

 ferous trees. Owing to the almost universal destruction of conifers and their 

 replacement by deciduous growth this species is now found in extensive 

 Canadian areas once dominated exclusively by the Red or Pine Squirrel. 



